Attending the Children’s Homes Association conference this year felt like it warranted a blog all of its own.
It was the first two-day conference held by the membership organisation, entitled ‘The Art of the Possible’ and was the first conference I have attended in which experts by experience were so heavily represented amongst the professionals as keynote speakers. This amplified the power and meaning of the sessions.
Lived Experience on the Main Stage
Expertly facilitated and chaired by Dr Emma Woodward, she invited us in her opening words to focus on the experience and feelings, not just the words and encouraged us to be curious, generous and open the possibility. This felt so appropriate, and this framing immediately engaged me. It felt like it mattered.
Of course, the CEO Dr Mark Kerr is also an expert by experience and his message to the membership was encouraging, energising, authentic yet challenging. It brought us together as delegates and members, focussed on getting things right for children. I haven’t had much to do with CHA in the past and as a member, the Mulberry Bush has been more engaged with NASS (National Association of Special Schools), but attending the 1 day conference last year made me think we needed to engage more fully and CHA have been hugely supportive of the Mulberry Bush over the last year, so I wanted to show my support, personally and professionally.
It is always lovely to meet up with friends and colleagues at these events, but great to meet new people. The atmosphere this year was one in which everyone seemed to mix more freely.
You come to realise or remember at these events, the amazing work that is going on in Children’s Homes across the country, sometimes it feels like it is against the odds, – that the DfE, Ofsted and others are at a distance and barriers to progress. It was striking this year that the CHA, Ofsted and the DfE were there on the stage together, working closely in support of us. There was greater transparency about the changes afoot and some of the challenges they face in making the changes we all want. In this way it felt great to share our world, understand their world, – to be invited to collaborate, – to be treated like adults.
There was an acknowledgement that working with children who have the most complex lives, – is complex and requires creativity and risk. It was great to hear Ofsted talk about trying to be risk aware rather than risk averse! The DfE appealed to us to share our learning with them, in building the new framework for children’s homes, – what an offer!
This change in the narrative nationally, does feel to have come about following Sir Martyn Oliver’s lead, as the new HMCI. We welcome this shift and know that we as a well-known organisation of 76 years standing this year, have a role to play in leading, supporting and continuing to learn.
Prof Lisa Holmes gave a great presentation, and I made a note to follow up her mention of the International Work Group for Therapeutic Residential Care! The day ended in some ways as it had begun with care leaver professionals. Smash life gave a masterclass in creative experiential learning, – using themselves and their experience as brothers, growing up in ‘complex lives’, to as professionals, – ‘see the real child behind the risk’!
Celebrating What Works: The First CHA Awards
We were delighted to have been nominated for two of the inaugural CHA awards, and so attended the conference dinner. These awards, – a first for the sector, seemed so important. In a world that is expert at focussing on what is wrong, inadequate, or failing, that seems to flourish on shame and shaming, – celebrating what is going right and where there is great practice is just fantastic.
I know that the awards process and the evening had taken a great deal of pulling together, but it ran so well. We heard about the nominees practice and I have fed back it would have been great to have a booklet to take away that set out their achievements so we could follow up with them and share. A sort of quality improvement network.
We were delighted to win two awards and it was great to have Emma Knipe and Ruth Kibble from the Mulberry Bush there to accept them with me. These awards are about a teams efforts and in so many ways, I had very little to do with the achievement of them! The first was the ‘Supporting Achievement in Education Award’ for our Emotional and Social Curriculum. A great resource, now used in over 140 schools, designed to help teaching teams work with children who are struggling socially and emotionally!
The second was for our research, – the Contribution to Research and Evidence Award celebrated the Mulberry Bush commitment to research and to sharing the outcomes of these studies widely across the sector.
This is the first year we have applied for a variety of awards. For so many years we have preferred to stay quiet, but it was fantastic to see the pride on the faces of staff who have been recognised for their hard work and to transforming troubled lives. 
Shared Humanity: Imposter Syndrome in Leadership
I was interested to read a blog post after the event from a practitioner talking about their imposter syndrome feelings. It reminded me of an exercise I did recently on a training day with CEO’s which focussed on imposter syndrome. We all had to write down on post its, what that imposter voice was saying to us. These were then stuck to a table in the middle, in a way that ensured anonymity. We were then encouraged to look at the voices and reflect on them together.
Some were brutal, but what was clear was that so many were exactly the same. The trainer then suggested that, as they were all the same the voice saying these things can’t know us very well, which seemed absolutely true! Maybe we shouldn’t listen to the voice, – brush it off and feel more assured? A consultant this week, when I spoke to them about this said that they wouldn’t wish to work closely with anyone who didn’t have some imposter syndrome. – a fair point I thought!
Closing Thoughts
The conference was another reaffirmation for why I do what I do and re-enforced the importance of the work of the Mulberry Bush, – working with all those troubled and traumatised as children and those who support them.
It was great to meet colleagues from newer providers, doing amazing work with children living in complex lives. There are certainly opportunities for the Mulberry Bush to support and collaborate, whether it is professionalising the workforce with training, supervision and reflective practice or sharing our assessment tool SEA Scale or the Emotional & Social Curriculum.
The presence and combination of providers with great moral purpose alongside sector bodies, the Dfe and the regulator, gave me great hope for the future of the sector and the children and young people whose lives are in our hands. 
